ERNST TEDOR TED HOFER

August 3, 1919 ~ October 29, 2012 Mr. Ted Hofer, of Medicine Hat, passed peacefully away to be with his Lord on October 29, 2012, with family by his side.

He will be greatly missed by his children, Marilyn Cooper of Medicine Hat AB., and her children, Michael Ward (great-grandaughter, Makayla), Marc Ward (Stephanie), (great-grandaughter, Maddison),  Margaret-Ann Ward  (great-grandson, Ryker); Mavis (Stan) Deans of Dutchess, AB.  and her children, Shane Rose, Jennifer Deans (Shannon) and Kristen;  Calvin Hofer of Enderby, BC., and his children, Jessie, Kym, Kodi (great-grandsons, Zachary and Rylan), Hope and Gerri,  Victoria;  Steven Kovacs (Leeanne) of Medicine Hat AB., and Melinda (Dave) Chapman of Enderby, BC., and her children, Kathryn, Jordan, Cody, Sky, Nikki, Nikita.  Ted was predeceased by his older brother, John and sister Eva while still living in Russia.  Years later in Canada he was predeceased by his father, John L. Hofer; mother, Eva (Kirschenmann) Hofer; brother, Louie Hofer; his late wife, Ida, and parents-in-law, Charlie and Emma Martin. Ted was born on August 3, 1919, in Neudorf, Russia and as a young boy immigrated to Canada with his parents in December 1928. They settled in the Burstall, Saskatchewan area to farm.  Eventually Ted worked a farm of his own in the area and then moved to the Etzikom district, where he farmed until 2002.  He spent his retirement years in Medicine Hat. An excerpt from Ted’s diary: “In the fall of 1947, catastrophe struck.  I had an accident in which my right upper arm was caught in a thrashing machine. My arm got smashed and nearly torn off!  It took about five years of doctoring and waiting before I could go back to work with one arm, my folks really pitched in through all this and kept the farming rolling.  By the fall of 1952, the arm was clean of bone infection so I went to the University Hospital in Edmonton where they did the necessary bone and muscle restructuring.  In the five years that it took to clear the bone of infection, to a great extent I lived with books and the dictionary.  I majored in English and Biblical studies.  Before the accident I had 2 1/2 years of biblical studies at Prairie Bible Inst.  After my operation, I recovered well.  It was in the time of my being laid aside that I met a friend of my sisters, Ida Martin, from the Fox Valley district.  We were married in 1954 at the age of 35.  She also had been struck by – she was widowed in 1947.  Now we joined two farming enterprises into one and carried it on until 2002 at which time we sold the farm.  At this junction Ida had a severe brain hemorrhage and it claimed her life.  We had been married 47 years.  We were deeply involved in church related matters such as Board positions  We had five adopted children, two live in Medicine Hat, two in B.C.and one in Brooks.  There are 18 grandchildren.  We made it a point to go to Family Bible Camps and after the children were largely gone we would take trips to the US – mainly in the winter.” Ted was an active member in the Alliance Church for many years and also attended First Assembly.  He worked with Campers-For-Christ and was a Chaplain for the group.  To all who had the pleasure of knowing Ted, he was a soft-spoken and quiet man, thoughtful, with a good sense of humour. He always had a kind word to say, never complained and was ready to go the “extra mile” to help someone out when he could.  He enjoyed cooking, good gospel music, sunsets, the desert in bloom and always commented on Gods great creations, both big and small.  Ted loved to read and had the chance to read to his heart’s content later in life.  He would spend hours studying Gods Word. Many times he would say, “Every time I read this passage I find something new!”  Ted was always good at showing his faith…. You could tell that he was a Christian by his actions and the way he lived his life.  God was gracious to Ted by granting him good health and independence until very late in life.  He will be sadly missed as a father, grandfather, great- grandfather, brother, mentor, teacher, confidant and friend.  Those wishing to pay their respects may do so at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, on Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 7:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., and one hour prior to service time.  A service to remember Ted and Celebrate his life here with us will be held at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13 Street S.W. on Monday, November 5, 2012 at 2:00 P.M.  Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery.  (Condolences may be expressed by visiting www.cooksouthland.com)  If friends so desire, memorial donations in Ted’s name may be made directly to the Palliative Care Unit, Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, 666 – 5 Avenue S.W., Medicine Hat, Alberta  T1A?4H6 or to the Canada Day Society, 580 – 1 Street S.E., Medicine Hat, Alberta  T1A 8E6.  Honoured to serve the family is Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13 Street S.W., Medicine Hat, Alberta  T1A 4V4   Phone 403-527-6455.